Teflon is recognized as a low coefficient-of-friction material when used as a solid bearing surface coating. When granulated to the size of from about 1 to about 20 microns in size, aqueous suspensions of Teflon have been blended with surfactants and base lubricants to make the Teflon useable in crank case lubrication systems.
One of the problems associated with the crank case lubrication system is the agglomerating of the granulated Teflon and the precipitation of the Teflon so that the Teflon tends to occupy a layer in the crank case. Once agglomerated, it is difficult to break up the Teflon. Although the mechanics of the prior art disadvantageous agglomeration of Teflon are not precisely known, it is believed that in use the aqueous suspension of Teflon and the surfactants to make the aqueous suspensions compatible with the base lubricants and the crank case oil rapidly lose their water when heated at operating temperatures. The loss of the water makes the surfactants ineffective and the dry lubricant components may never be returned to suspension. Whether the surfactants break down and disappear may be a moot question because once the water is gone, the surfactants, whose purpose is to attach water and oil molecules, have no further use.
The suspension mediums of liquid based additives which contain fluorocarbon powder products add unnecessary expense to the products. The suspension mediums cause storage problems in the liquid products which tend to settle before they are used and require vigorous shaking to resuspend the aqueous suspensions of the fluorocarbon resin particles in the water-base lubricant emulsions.
A need exists for a delivery system to deliver solid lubricant particles directly to surfaces to be lubricated while preventing agglomeration of the particles in crank cases.